Disconnect switch



Aug. 26, 1930. H. D. SALISBURY DISCONNECT SWITCH Filed July 18, 1928 INVENTOR iii 70 @Q Q M A froze/v5 y Patented Aug. 26, 1 930 UNITED STATES HOWARD D. SALISBURY, OF BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA DISCONNECT SWITO'H Application filed July 18,

This invention relates to electrical equipment and more specifically to means for connecting and disconnecting various parts of electric circuits.

The invention aims to provide an improved switch having a contact blade which is adjustably supported in such manner that when parts thereof become burned or pitted in use, a fresh clean surface can be positioned for coaction with a cO-operating contact jaw.

My im roved. switch also includes other features 0 im rovement which will be apparent from the ollowing specification when read in connection with the accompanying drawings and which will be pointed out with particularity in the appended claims.

In the drawings- Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a switch embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan thereof showing the switch blade in full lines in closed circuit position and in dotted lines in open circuit position;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail with parts shown in section illustrating the mounting for the movable blade of the switch;

Fig. 4 is a detail section on line 4-4 of of Fig. 1 illustrating the construction of a yieldingly fulcrumed contact jaw which ooacts with the switch blade;

Fig. 5 is a detail section on line 5-5 of ig. 6 is a similar section on line 6-6 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 7 is a detail section on line 7-7 of eferring in detail to the drawings, 10 represents any suitable supporting structure which may be, for example, a rolled channel section forming part of the frame work of a building structure. Or, it may be considered as a cross-arm such as used in pole-line equip ment. The supporting member 10 carries a pair of high tension insulators 12 and 14 of the multiple petticoat type. Insulator 12 is rotatably mounted on the support 10 and the insulator 14 is rigidly secured thereto by means to be hereinafter described. The upper part of each insulator is formed 50 with an annular groove such as indicated 1928. Serial No. 298,848.

at 16 in Fig. 3. Secured in the groove of the insulator 12 is a blade sup orting member 18 formed in two hal ringlike sections 20-20 secured by means of bolts 22-22. Each ring-like member 20 carries a pair of upstanding ears 24-24 which serve as clamps to adjustably support the movable contact blade 26, the ears being adapted to be drawn together by means of bolts 28.

The blade 26 in the embodiment illustrated is in the form of short length of round rod and between the ears it carries a T-fitting 30 which has secured thereto an upstanding stud 32 which pivotally engages a T-shaped fittinhg 34 secured to a fixed conductor 36. The T- tting 30 is adjustably secured in place on the switch blade 26 by means of a suitable set screw 38 and is intended to be positioned in line with the longitudinal axis of the insulator 12 and its operating shaft hereinafter referred to.

The fitting 34 is prevented from jumping off b means of a nut 40 carried on the reduced end of the stud 32. The arrangement is such that the blade 26 will turn relatively to the fixed conductor 36 and in order to insure a good electrical connection, a flexible conductor 42 is secured, respectively, to the fixed conductor 36 and the switch blade 26.

The rigid insulator 14 carries a pair of substantially semi-circular clamp members 44-44 which are preferably duplicates of the members 20-20 carried by the insulator 12 so that the parts can be interchangeably used. The members 44 are suitably clamped to the insulator 14 by bolts 46-46. The clamp members include upstanding ears 48 and 50. One of the cars 48 is cut away as indicated at 52 in Fig. 4 and the other car is formed with a fulcrum extension as indicated at 54. This ear is also perforated as indicated at 56 to permit the passage of a bolt 58 therethrough. The cars 50 are clamped to the line conductor 51.

A contact jaw 60 is yieldingly fulcrumed 95 on the extension 54, this contact jaw being perforated to permit the passage therethrough of the bolt 58 and the bolt being pro-v vided with a compression spring 62 one end of which presses against the back of the extension 54, and the other end of which enages a washer 64 adjustably secured to the bolt 58 by a nut 66. The compression spring 62 tends to rock the contact member 60 in a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 4, this contact member having a bent portion 68 which fulcrums on the extension 54. The outer end of the contact member 60 is flared upwardly and outwardly as viewed at 70 and an intermediate portion thereof is of substantially arcuate form'as .indicated at 72 so as to make a good electrical contact with the rod-like switch blade 26.

The insulator 14 has a thimble 73 cemente in the bottom thereof and is mounted on a supporting pin 74 similar in form to usual insulator supporting pins. For holding the pin 74 to the supporting base member 10, I provide a stud bolt 76 which passes through a hole in the pin member 74 and screws into a blind tapped hole in the thimble 73. The other end of the bolt 76 extends through the support 10 and is fastened thereto by means of a nut 77. Vertical dowel pins 78 and friction or dowel pins at 79 prevent the thimble 73 and the insulator 14 from turning relative to the support 10.

The rotatable support for the insulator 12 includes a bearing member 80 having a flange 82 secured by bolts 84 to the base member 1( Goacting with bearing member 80 are antifriction balls 86 and 88 which engage re spectively bearing members 90 and 92. The member 90 fits over a sleeve 94 by a drive fit. Sleeve 94 is fastened to a thimble 96 eemented to insulator 12 by means of a stud bolt 98 located within the sleeve 94. Vertical dowel pins 100 prevent thimble 96 from turning except with sleeve 94.

For turning the insulator 12 and switch blade 26 I provide a shaft 102 connected by means of a suitable coupling member 104 with pin 106 and vertical dowel key pins 108 to connect with the sleeve 94 by means of bolt 98. Threads 110 surround the sleeve 94 at lower end thereof and member 92 is adjusted on said threads and held to adjustment by set screw 111. The operating shaft 102 in the embodiment shown is in the form of pipe or tubing and at its lower end is journalled in hole 112 in a bracket 114'carried by a suitable support 116. A yoke 118 is secured to the lower end of the shaft 102 by means of a pin 120. This yoke has an operating handle 122 pivotally secured thereto by means of a pin 124. A bolt 126 carrying a padlock 128 is provided to prevent unauthorized manipulation of the switch. This bolt as shown in Figs. 3 and 5 extends across the path of a projecting end 130 of the handle 122. The bracket 114 is formed with notches 132 and 134 located to accommodate the handle when the switch blade 26 is respectively in its closed and open position. By removing bolt 126 it will be understood that the handle 122 can be swung upwardly so as to free it from the notches in the bracket 11.4 and thus permit the o erator to turn the switch blade 26 to the esired position. 'It is clear that the switch blade can thus be locked in either its open or its closed position.

In addition to half ring-like sections 2020 which clamp around insulator 12 and ordinarily hold the blade 26 in fixed relation to said insulator. I have provided two key plates 186 which fit into the slot ordinarily found across the top of commercial line insulators and also fit around the blade 26, thus effectively keying the blade 26 to the insulator 12.

From the foregoing it will be understood that my improved switch is so arranged that when the portion of the movable contact blade 26 which coacts with the fixed contact jaw becomes badly burned or pitted in use that the clamp bolts 28 may be loosened so as to readily permit longitudinal adjustment of the blade 26 so as to properly position a fresh clean surface for coaction with the contact jaw 60. When such adjustment is made. it is clear that fitting 30 may remain in substantial axial alignment with the insulator 12, the same being freed by loosening the set screw 38 at the time the adjustment is made. The yieldingly fulcrumed contact jaw 60 with its flaring end and its notched arcuate portion 72 provides an exceptionally good contact, the parts being so arranged that each time the switch is closed a scraping action is exerted which tends to clean the contact.

end of the cylindrical or rod-like blade 26. The spring 62 and bolt 7 O are located a suflicient distance away from the main contact elements of the device so that little or no heating of the spring takes place which would.

iend to destroy its temper.

While I have described quite specifically the details of the embodiment of the invention herein illustrated. it is not to be construed that I am limited thereto since various modifications and substitution of equivalents may be made by those skilled in the art with out departing from the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A switch comprising a contact jaw and a pivotally mounted contact blade coacting therewith and a mounting for the blade including clamp members arranged to provide for its adjustment relatively to the jaw so that after the blade becomes burned or worn in use a fresh clean portion thereof can be positioned for coaction with said jaw by merely loosening said clamp members and shifting the blade.

2. A switch comprising a support carryin a pair of insulators one being rigidly secur and the other being rotatably mounted, a contact jaw carried by said rigid insulator and a rod-like contact blade adjustably clamped to said rotatable insulator so that difierent portions thereof can be positioned for coaction with said jaw.

3. A switch of the character described comprisin a support, a high tension insulator rotata ly mounted thereon, a contact blade, means for shiftably securing the blade to the insulator, and another high tension insulator carrying a yieldingly fulcrumed notched aw for coaction with said blade.

4. A switch of the character described comprising a support, a high tension insulator rotatably mounted thereon, a rod-like contact blade, a clamp member detachably secured to said insulator and adjustably supporting said blade and another high tension insulator having a similar clamp member which carries a contact having a notch-shaped jaw for coaction with said blade.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name.

HOWARD D. SALISBURY. 

